The year of Graeme Swann: Off-spinner cements his hero status as excellent England maulsorry South Africa at Kingsmead

The year started with England, already in turmoil after the messy departures of Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores, being bundled out for 51 by West Indies in Jamaica in the first Test of a new era under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower.

Things are a little different now.

The only thing more surprising than England's transformation to Ashes winners and now emphatic victors over South Africa in the second Test is the identity of their most successful bowler in that extraordinary 12 months.

Star man: Swann (centre) is mobbed after dismissing Morkel

Graeme Swann was not even selected for the debacle in Kingston as he
was still playing second fiddle to Monty Panesar. Yet this modern
practitioner of an old-fashioned skill in orthodox off-spin grabbed his
chance in the re-arranged Test in Antigua with such alacrity that he
has gone from strength to unimaginable strength ever since.

On
Wednesday , gloriously, he earned his second man-of-the-match award in
successive Tests with his fourth five-wicket haul to take his tally to
nine in this Test. Not only that but Swann finishes 2009 with 54 Test
victims, second only to Australia's Mitchell Johnson, and this from a
type of bowler who was supposed to have as much life as a dodo in these
days of mystery spin.

Let history illustrate how significant
this extraordinary triumph at Kingsmead was. England had not beaten
South Africa by an innings anywhere since they won here in Durban in
1964 and had not beaten any major opposition by an innings since Mike
Gatting's Ashes-winning team thrashed Australia in Melbourne on the
1986-87 tour.

Chris Broad, the star performer of Gatting's
side, was here to see his son Stuart produce another match-defining
spell to break the notoriously brittle South African spine on Tuesday.

Yet
it was Swann who again claimed the plaudits by making sure there would
be no late twists on the final day. He took the first and last of the
four wickets to fall, his trapping of Dale Steyn sparking off ecstatic
English celebrations reminiscent of those after he had taken the final
Australian wicket at The Brit Oval to clinch the Ashes.

A series win
here would be almost as good as that. It was all over an hour and 13
minutes into the last day with Broad removing the terrier-like Mark
Boucher to a gloved catch behind down the legside with the help of the
review system and Jimmy Anderson ending the resistance of Paul Harris,
who chipped to mid-on.

Nearly there: Broad celebrates getting rid of Boucher

But what a story Swann is. He appeared
to have been banished back to county cricket for good after failing to
impress on his first tour, also to South Africa, 10 years ago but not
only has he surpassed all expectations on his return but he has done so
with a sense of fun that had been almost as rare in the modern game as
orthodox spin.

'Swanny has had a massive impact on our side over the last 12 months,' said England captain Strauss.

'He's
always been an attacking spinner who gives it a rip and in Test cricket
that can be invaluable. And off the field he lightens the mood and
lifts people when they are down.

'When he toured 10 years ago
it was still early in his career and he was picked before he knew his
game 100 per cent, but he knows how to bowl people out now. He's a
clever spin bowler and his batting has been a major plus, too. There's
nothing worse for an opposing captain than a guy who has no fear of
getting out and plays outrageous shots.'

There is nothing timid
about Swann, his personality and love of a one-liner being as
infectious as his attacking bowling has been effective.

The
sight of him causing laughter in a press conference is becoming a
regular feature of following England. A future on the celebrity circuit
already seems secured.

'The captain left me out in Jamaica so I had to show him what a mistake he'd made,' Swann said with a smile.

That's your lot: Graeme Swann leads England's celebrations after he claims South Africas final wicket with Dale Steyn the unlucky victim at the creaset

'It's
been a magnificent time for me. The West Indies was a personal
breakthrough and then, if you remember, we won the Ashes. Now the start
of this tour has gone really well and I will always look back on 2009
with a great deal of fondness.'

He will continue to try to buck
the trend – along with Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, who also
took five wickets on Wednesday, and South African slow left-armer
Harris – which decrees that no spinner worth his salt goes on to the
field these days without a doosra.

'Deep down I always thought orthodox spinners could take Test wickets,' said Swann, 30.

'This
game goes round in circles. In three or four years, no doubt, we'll be
out of vogue again. I'm sure a mystery spinner will turn up and I will
be defunct. Until then I'll be clinging on to Straussy's coat-tails to
try to stay on this fairground ride for as long as possible.'

Loving it: The Barmy Army celebrate England's emphatic win

What
a ride it is turning out to be, but the next stop is South Africa's
fortress, Newlands in Cape Town, where England have failed to win since
their hosts' re-admission.

Avoid defeat there and England will
be on the verge of something special. For now all the problems belong
to South Africa, who were ranked the best Test team in the world after
their last series against Australia.

Since then India have
surpassed them while they were inactive and England have inflicted this
heavy blow to their psyche. The word 'choke' is a sensitive one in
these parts but it may well apply to South Africa again if they do not
get out of this mess.

On the crest of a wave: Graeme Swann leads his team-mates off the field after his dismissal of Dale Steyn

'It's a massive disappointment. We've been outplayed,' said South African captain Graeme Smith.

'We
have to be honest with ourselves now. We represent a lot of people's
hopes and we weren't good enough. We have to bounce back.'

For now there is more bounce in Swann than Tigger, and England will be determined it stays that way.